Nightlife
Originally published on Tuesday, 2nd June 2009
Our Dirty Little Secret
Aside from the MI5/MI6 storage vaults, I suspect there is nowhere in London that revels in its secrets quite as much as Shoreditch. Whether hidden dens of debauchery or rooftop retreats of aerial alcoholism, the coolest spots are so often the hardest to find - tucked, as they are, far from the prying gaze of the uncool.
And yet, standing with discrete pride at the end of a churchyard beside Liverpool Street station, East London's latest dirty secret - a fantastic converted Turkish bathhouse, which soft-launched last weekend - is in fact anything but.
Hidden in plain view almost on the very boundary between Shoreditch and the City, The Bathhouse is out to offer a little something for everyone, from flat-white-sipping City daywalkers to Wh*reditch nightcrawlers alike.
Set up by Tava O'Halloran (formerly of Hoxton's infamous haven of iniquity, 333), this new and wonderfully individual venue has everything from a sublime daytime café and an 80-seater Italian restaurant, to a deliciously late-night bar set to host some truly incredible live music. Just try not to tell anyone - let's keep it our little secret.
The Bathhouse, 8 Bishopsgate Churchyard, EC2M 3TJ
Find more bars, restaurants or even real bathhouses in the UJ London Guide.
